leapling

leapling — noun

1. a person whose date of birth is 29 February, a calendar date that occurs only on

1.noun
Definition

a person whose date of birth is 29 February, a calendar date that occurs only once every four years when a leap year adds an extra day to the shortest month

Example

Yara was born on leap day, so her family calls her a leapling.

collocation: born on leap day / called a leapling

As a leapling, Leila celebrates her birthday on 28 February during common years.

leapling celebrates on a nearby date in non-leap years

Common collocations
  • born a leapling
  • leapling community
  • leapling celebrates
Synonyms
  • leap year baby

    more informal and affectionate, common in everyday conversation and social media

  • February 29 baby

    purely descriptive and transparent but less compact, used when the speaker wants to avoid jargon

Usage Note

Informal and relatively uncommon. Most leaplings choose to celebrate on 28 February or 1 March during non-leap years. Some legal systems recognise one of these nearby dates as the official birthday for driving licences, voting, and reaching the age of majority.

Common Mistakes

She is a leapling child with a rare birthday.
She is a leapling with a rare birthday.
'leapling' is a countable noun and is not used as an adjective before another noun.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Leapling, leap year baby, and February 29 baby all refer to someone born on 29 February, but they differ in register and frequency of use. Leapling is the most established term, appearing in dictionaries and news articles, and is the preferred choice in formal or written contexts. Leap year baby sounds warmer and more affectionate, and is the most common form in casual conversation and social media. February 29 baby is purely descriptive — the easiest for an unfamiliar listener to understand — but it is longer and rarely used as a label or headline. In daily speech, leap year baby dominates; in journalism and reference works, leapling is standard.

leapling ↗leap year babyFebruary 29 baby

Common collocations

Phrases

  • born a leapling
  • leapling born on leap day

Etymology

English

Formed within English by combining 'leap' (from the phrase 'leap year', referring to the year containing the extra day) with the suffix '-ling', which denotes a person associated with a particular thing or quality. The word has been in use since at least the late 19th century.